FIG 2.

Microbial diversity and LAB abundance in the Napa cabbage phyllosphere. (A) Abundance of total culturable bacteria (TS agar in blue) and lactic acid bacteria (MRS agar in red) in the Napa cabbage phyllosphere at three sites in the Boston, MA, area. Site 1, n = 9; site 2, n = 10; site 3, n = 7. (B) Relative abundance of bacterial phyla and Lactobacillales families identified in the Napa cabbage phyllosphere using amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Each column represents an individual cabbage showing the initial phyllosphere microbiome of the lab-grown cabbage (n = 5), site 1 phyllosphere (n = 9) and fermented (n = 4), site 2 phyllosphere (n = 10) and fermented (n = 4), and site 3 (n = 7) and fermented (n = 4). Members of the Lactobacillales are shown at the family level in order to indicate the prevalence of major LAB groups. (C) Abundance of total culturable bacteria (TS agar in blue) and lactic acid bacteria (MRS agar in red) in the Napa cabbage phyllosphere from cabbages purchased at five supermarkets. For each supermarket, n = 6. (D) Relative abundance of phyla identified in the Napa cabbage phyllosphere purchased from one of the five supermarkets. Each column represents an individual cabbage. As with panel B, members of the Lactobacillales are shown at the family level in order to indicate the prevalence of major LAB groups.